{"id":34591,"date":"2017-12-03T18:29:29","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T23:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=34591"},"modified":"2017-12-03T18:29:29","modified_gmt":"2017-12-03T23:29:29","slug":"week-13-buffalo-bills-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/12\/03\/week-13-buffalo-bills-takeaways\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 13 Buffalo Bills Takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

Same old story for the Buffalo Bills<\/a> in what continues to be a lopsided AFC East rivalry.<\/p>\n

The team dropped a 23-3 decision<\/a> to the New England Patriots<\/a> on Sunday, their 10th loss in the last 12 meetings against their interdivisional foe. It’s the team’s worst margin of defeat to the Pats in five years with their three points scored the lowest output in the series since December 26, 2010.<\/p>\n

The result means that the Bills drop to 6-6 on the year and fall a game behind the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> for the final playoff spot in the AFC. Baltimore took care of business at home, defeating the Detroit Lions<\/a> in decisive 44-20 fashion. If Buffalo wants to remain in postseason contention, they must move on from this fairly comprehensive loss and take care of business for the remainder of this three-game home stand.<\/p>\n

But for now, the team must live with the reality that they remain far behind a Patriots team who clinched 10 wins in a season for the 15th straight year. That’s only one behind the San Francisco 49ers<\/a>‘ run between 1983-98 for most all-time. As the Bills look to move on, what are the biggest takeaways from Sunday’s defeat?<\/p>\n

Week 13 Buffalo Bills Takeaways<\/strong><\/h1>\n

No Answer for the Pats Run Game<\/h2>\n

Buffalo made massive strides defending the run in last week’s 16-10 win<\/a> over the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>. They limited K.C. to 55 yards on the ground and completely shut down rookie Kareem Hunt<\/a><\/strong>, holding him to the lowest yardage total of his young career. But suffice it to say that they suffered a severe regression against the Pats.<\/p>\n

New England gashed the Bills for 191 rushing yards on Sunday. It included Dion Lewis<\/a><\/strong> and Rex Burkhead<\/a><\/strong> functioning as a two-headed monster of sorts. The two running backs accounted for 89 percent of the Pats rush yardage on the day, with Burkhead registering two touchdowns. Both came in the third quarter and epitomized Buffalo’s struggles at that point in the game. In their last five games, opposing teams have outscored the Bills 65-6 during the third period.<\/p>\n

Four of those five have seen the Bills turn in atrocious efforts in run defense. And including Sunday’s loss to New England, the Bills have given up more than 190 rushing yards in three of them. That needs to change in their next two games against the Indianapolis Colts<\/a> and Miami Dolphins<\/a>. Both those teams are in the bottom quarter of the league when it comes to running the football.<\/p>\n

Rob Gronkowski<\/a> Impacts the Game in More Ways Than One<\/h2>\n

For the most part, Buffalo limited Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong>‘s ability to hurt teams downfield. He managed just two passes of more than 20 yards, didn’t throw a single touchdown pass and finished with his third lowest passer rating of the season. But ultimately, he didn’t need to be particularly effective given the aforementioned struggles defending the run on the part of the Bills.<\/p>\n

Where Brady victimized the Bills was in his utilization of\u00a0Rob Gronkowski<\/strong>. Though he didn’t find the end zone, the eighth-year tight end hauled in nine catches for 147 yards, including Brady’s longest toss of the game. The combination of a bruising run game and Gronk making play after play down the middle kept Buffalo’s defense on their heels all day. It all manifested itself in costly fashion on those two third quarter drives which inevitably sealed the deal for New England.<\/p>\n

But Gronkowski’s impact wasn’t limited to the Pats passing game. It came in a different and sufficiently more negative manner during the fourth quarter. After Bills corner Tre’Davious White<\/strong><\/a> came up with an interception while covering him, Gronkowski then proceeded to plow into White’s back and head while he was prone on the ground. The despicable cheap shot left White noticeably woozy, with the team evaluating him for a concussion afterwards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Gronk wasn't ejected for this because…Patriots pic.twitter.com\/X0VTDhjcRK<\/a><\/p>\n

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) December 3, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n